Page 55 of Complicated Past

“That is good news.” What he’d said about going to Dev’s clicked in. “Is Jalen with you?”

“I took him back to Bri’s. Regina’s in Jalen’s bed, and he’s in with Bri. Since she’s safe, I thought I’d sleep in my bed since she doesn’t have a full-sized couch.”

“Your house? Where there’s no food?”

“I grabbed a protein bar. I’ve got to get up early to take Jalen to school for Bri. I’ll get something while she and Regina give their statements to the police.”

“How long before you have to go back overseas?”

“I’m not sure yet. I’ll call the chief tomorrow. I hope to stay a couple of days to make sure Bri’s really okay.”

Then it would be roughly two months until she could see or kiss him again. “You could stay here. My bed’s only a queen, but it’d just be the two of us this time.” She moved close enough that they could touch.

“I wasn’t sure you were ready for that yet.”

Yet he’d stopped by here before going to his house. That seemed like a sign he’d at least thought about staying. She certainly hoped he had. Having spent so much time with him thepast few days, she not only wanted to be intimate with him but trusted him enough to try.

“Honestly, I’m not one hundred percent sure, but I’d rather you stay than wait until you get back to find out.” That way, if she wasn’t ready, he had time to decide if he wanted to keep building on this or invest his time elsewhere. It would be better for her to know now than to set her heart on a relationship that wasn’t going anywhere when the hurt would be another setback. She summoned one-hundred and ten percent of her courage to ask, “Do you have any condoms with you?” Now there’d be no doubt of her intentions.

“I’ve got at least one, probably two, with me. I’d like to stay but remember what I said.” He wrapped an arm around her to hold her close as he spoke, looking right into her eyes. “If, at any time, you want to stop, you just say the word. Just don’t say ‘don’t stop’ because that can send mixed messages. I won’t know if there’s supposed to be punctuation between the words as in ‘Don’t. Stop!’ or you’re asking menotto stop. I don’t want any miscommunication because I don’t want to mess this up.”

“Understood.” Scenarios where she’d beg him not to stop made her mouth water. She could easily fall in love with Linc. In fact, she was already on her way there, and she so wanted this to work. “I’m afraidI’llbe the one to mess things up.”

“I don’t see that happening. Tell me what you need.”

She inhaled deeply and slowly exhaled. “I need to feel thatIhave control. And after watching you the past few days”—and knowing his background in foster care—“I know how hard it is for you to not be in control.”

“That’s true. One of the things I like about the unit I serve with is having more control and input than being in regular army units. But I do have experience following orders. I’d be more than willing to take them from you.”

“Any kind of order?” She traced a finger down his chest and stopped above the waistband of the black jeans that hugged his perfect body.

“As long as it’s not anything illegal.” His enticing grin amped up as he dropped his gaze to her hand. “And if control’s what you need, you got it. You say where. No article of clothing comes off until you take it off or indicate you want me to. No blindfolds or flex cuffs—unless you want to use them on me. Not that I usually roll that way, but I’m willing if that makes you feel in control.”

The idea of that, along with his smile, sent her body temperature skyrocketing. “I don’t think we need to go that far.” At least not yet. A prior fantasy or two flashed through her mind, though her body tensed at the idea of heading straight to the bedroom. “Why don’t you get a little more comfortable by taking off your boots.” She was already barefoot, and the suggestion gave her a few seconds to contemplate an appropriate starting place.

“Yes, ma’am.”

She couldn’t take her eyes off him as he braced one muscular arm against the wall and bent over to untie the laces. He toed off one low boot, then the other.

He held out a hand. When she placed hers in his, he interlaced their fingers but didn’t move until she took the first step to the couch, where she sat in the middle.

“Your eyes are the most amazing color. Like honey ringed with dark brown,” he said. “They were the first thing I noticed about you. But they aren’t your best feature.”

“Oh?”

“I like your smile even better. And your heart. When we met at Bri’s apartment, you built Bri up, telling her she could turn things around rather than bring up her past and mistakes. I was blown away, considering my experience with social workers started with Mrs. Courtland. She wasn’t fazed by my or Bri’sinsistence that we stay together. She held me back as Regina loaded Bri in her car and drove away. And an hour later, she drove me to meet my first foster family, who already had three older boys.”

“I’m sorry they couldn’t keep you together, but your case worker might not have been the heartless person she came off as,” Kendra shared. “In our line of work, we often don’t have a choice. From what you said, Bri’s grandmother was willing to take her in, and we always want to put children with family, if possible, but we can’tmake themtake in family, much less non-blood relatives. She was probably doing her best for you, even if it wasn’t what any of you wanted.”

“You’re probably right.” He sighed. “I need to let that go, which will be easier now that I have a different take on social workers.” He raised his eyebrows and leaned closer, tilting her chin with his index finger.

The simple touch sent electricity through her. Voltage amped up the moment his lips touched hers. Sweet kisses turned hotter and hotter. There was no doubt this man knew how to kiss.

When she tugged at his shirt, the back of her fingers connected with the warmth of his smooth skin, making her want to touch even more of him. To feel his skin against hers. “Take it off,” she requested.

He stripped the shirt over his head in one fluid, sexy movement.

“I want to see the tattoo on your back.”

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